12 Best Restaurants in Jackson, Jackson Hole and Northwest Wyoming

At Jackson's legendary game and steak lodge, all dishes are slow-cooked over an open river-rock mesquite grill. It's in a former taxidermy shop, and the dining atmosphere is rustic and fun, with a large collection of mounted game and a towering stone fireplace. Service is always friendly. The menu offers a wide variety of unique dishes, such as the house favorite, velvet elk: tender medallions cooked in a wine, sun-dried-tomato, and pepper sauce. The bar has an ample list of bourbons, scotches, and wines to sample if you just want a drink.

Succulent baby back ribs and mouthwatering spareribs are the specialties at this busy barbecue joint, which evokes the Old West with its wooden booths, Western paintings, and antique signs. Sandwiches and a huge salad bar with plenty of nonmeat choices are also available. This is also one of the most affordable breakfast options in Jackson, but there can be long waits in summer or winter. The desserts include homemade pies of the chocolate-buttermilk and fudge-pecan variety.

One of Jackson's mainstays for special-occasion dining, this sophisticated restaurant serves creatively prepared dishes using meats and fish loved across the West. The menu changes regularly, reflecting what's available in the market, and the extensive wine list has garnered countless awards.

For 30 years, consistently excellent, distinctive fare has been the rule at this white-and-blue clapboard house two blocks from Town Square. The sophisticated offerings range from Dijon-mustard-rubbed rack of lamb to grilled elk with port wine sauce to fresh fish dishes, including rainbow trout. There's patio dining in summer and a wine list. Early-bird specials (5:30–6:30 pm) are a great value in an otherwise pricey restaurant.

Lunch is served year-round and dinner is served in summer, but it's the breakfasts and home-baked pastries that are irresistible here. It's elbow to elbow inside, so you may have to wait to be seated on busy mornings, but any inconvenience is well worth it. In summer there's outdoor seating.

No pork is served here (hence the name). But otherwise, you'll get more-than-generous portions of Mexican fare, over a mesquite grill if you like, with a range of homemade sauces from mild to spicy. Favorites include sizzling fajitas, carne asada, shrimp mango wraps, the rich queso dip, and a Tex-Mex–style seafood chimichanga. It's usually noisy and jam-packed, but there's a full-service bar whipping up frozen strawberry margaritas that you can sip in the festive atmosphere while waiting for your table.